Common rule – filter through cloth or coffee filter first to remove large particles.
Bleach
Clorox – 8 drops/gallon & wait 30 minutes.
If slight chlorine smell and clear, ready.
Strong chlorine, let sit until slight smell.
No smells and/or murky, 8 more drops and wait 15 minutes.
Pros: cheap – 1 cent/gallon
Cons: 30 minutes. Nasty liquid to carry around – wool socks. Chlorine smell.
Tablets
Pros : Easy to do and carry
Cons: cost – 3o minutes. 16 cents/gallon,
UV pen
Use pen to irradiate water.
Pros: fast 2-3 minutes per gallon.
Cons: 5 cents/use battery. 2 cents for light bulb. Device $50-$100. Need to do it right or else doesn’t work. Does not work in non-clear water.
Pump/filter
Pump water through filter into bottle. 2-4 minutes/gallon of pumping.
$60 gravity kit.
Pros: Removes all solids and almost all bacteria.
Cons: Fliter clogs. 2-5 cents a gallon, but $100 for pump.
Boiling
Bring water to rolling boil for at least 1 minute
Pros: Best for cooking water where you already need to boil it
Cons: Fuel usage, time it takes to get to boil, hot water after treatment
What water to purify
Make sure it has life
If nothing is living, may be toxic — heavy metals, pollutants